Hydraulic dredging apparatus.



Patented Dec. l0, l90l.

} E. msu-zv. HYDRAULIC DREDGING APPARATUS.

(Application filed Mar. 19, 1901.)

(No Model.)

M T m y N l fins ATTQHNEYS fa: NDRR.|$.EETERS cu, womumo WASHINGTON,nxc.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

ELTON RISLEY, OF PLEASANTVILLE, NEW JERSEY.

8 HYDRAULIC DREDGAING APPARATUS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 688,338, dated December10, 1901. Application filed March 19, 1901. Serial No. 51,936. (Nomodel.)

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, ELTON RISLEY, a citizen of the United States ofAmerica, residing in Pleasantville, in the county of Atlantic, State ofNew Jersey, have invented Improvements in Hydraulic Dredging Apparatus,of which the following is a specification.

In the Letters Patent granted to me February 19, 1901, No. 668,342,forimprovements in hydraulic dredging apparatus '1 have explained how insuch apparatus it often happens that the dischargerpipe gets choked bysand or other heavy material settling in the pipe and how the pump,which is usually a centrifugal pump, will keep on running and appear tobe working all right while, in fact, pumping-little or no material,until a breakdown occurs. I further described how the percentage of sandwhich can be pumped with the water through the dredging apparatus wasnecessarily limited, because of this liability or danger of the chokingof the pipe. My patented invention consisted in the provision of thedredging apparatus with means for indicating thechoking or partialchoking of its pipes, and by my said invention the apparatus was enabledto handle at least ten per cent. more material without danger. Thespecific means set forth in my said patent for carrying my inventioninto efl'ect consisted of apivoted blade within the piping of thedredging apparatus and a dial-and-pointer indicating device outside thepiping and connected to said pivoted blade, and I described said meansas preferably applied to the suctionpipe.

My present invention relates to another means for carrying out my saidpatented invention and is preferably applied to the dis charge-pipe ofthe dredging apparatus; and it consists of the combination, with ayielding section of the pipe, of means for indicating the weight of thematerials or solutions of.

materials flowing through or contained in such pipe.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is a plan of sufficient of ahydraulic dredging apparatus to illustrate my invention. Fig. 2 is aside elevation, partly in section, of the weighing means; and Fig. 3 isa view of some indicator details.

In Fig. 1, A is the centrifugal pump, to be pipe-joints tolerably heavyrubber packing.

Thus rubber packing F of round section from three eighths to half aninch in diameter placed between the flanges of the pipe-sections at thejoint E, Figs. 1 and 2, has been found to answer. I then support theflexible part of the pipe-as, for instance, directly at this jointuponthe end of a long lever G by means of a knife-edge f, and to supportthis lower on a suitable adjustable but stationary knife-edge H theouter end of the long arm of this lever has a counterbalance, such as aweight g, sufficient to support the weight of the pipe when full ofclear water. To this lever are connected the moving parts of anindicatordial K by means of a chain or cord k, passing around a pulley70. It will thus be seen that excess of weight of material flowingthrough the pipe above a predetermined amount will be indicated orregistered.

The indicator details may be varied without departing from my invention;but in Fig. 31 have shown a form which may be employed. The chain orcord 7c is to be connected to projecting lower end m of the slide M,sliding in fixed guides m on the casing of the indicator. This slide hasa rack N, gearing into a pinion P on the axis of the pointer 19. Springs3, connected to arms at on the sliding rack and to fixed pins on thecasing, tend to pull the slide M upward to keep the pointer 13 oppositeany other suitable indication when the water is flowing clear throughthe pipe.

When the sand flows through or accumulates, the increased weight willactuate the lever G, so as to indicate on the dial when the danger limitis passed and warn the attendant to remedy the trouble, as by raisingthe suction end of the pipe out of the sand 2. In a hydraulic dredgingapparatus, a

pipe having a flexible or yielding section and provided with acounterbalanced lever supporting said flexible section of the pipe andoperated by the movement thereof, whereby a predetermined weight oramount is counterbalanced, and a dial-indicator actuated by thelever,whereby indications above said predetermined weight or amount areregistered or made. I

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification in thepresence of two subscribing witnesses.

ELTON RISLEY.

Witnesses:

GEORG W. WREY, J. A. CHAMPION.

